When you're lost I'll lead you home again
by makesometime
Summary: "There are still some things in Starling City that are worth coming back for." He says, impossibly earnest as ever. He means Thea, of course. His mother, Walter. Laurel too, probably. But she can't help the flutter in her chest as she considers maybe one day being nearer the top of that list.


**A/N:** (Otherwise known as, _where the hell did Ollie's jacket go?_ I'm sure I won't be the first or last to write a tag for this, but I couldn't resist the call of the ship bait...)

* * *

Felicity folds her hands together in front of her as the elevator doors close, clenching her grip a little when Oliver slots neatly in beside her. It's been a busy day so far, her mind is a little frazzled from making sure everything went off without a hitch when it came to Walter and she's not entirely confident of her ability to keep her hands to herself after what Oliver just said to her so a tight grip is probably the wisest course.

_A good friend._

The memory makes her smile and duck her head a bit, letting her hair fall into her face to hide it. He might not have been on Lian Yu for as long as his first stay, but this time she had reason to miss him, reason to _care_ beyond the faint sadness of five years ago at the thought of a life lost and a family broken.

It's so good to have him back. To know where he is, within arm's reach even if she wouldn't ever dare… reach. There's a sudden tightness in her chest at the mere consideration of him leaving again, and it occurs to her that she should probably tell him this, tell him of her pride in the fact that he's dealt with melding back into Starling City with frankly more poise than she expected upon seeing him shirtless and sweaty on the island.

That remembered image alone makes her turn to him, spinning on her heel and ending up staring at the pattern on his tie. Oliver had moved towards her at the exact same moment and his proximity makes her wobble a bit, unsteady on her feet. His hand shoots out and curls around her elbow to help her regain her balance and she clutches at his forearm, glancing up to see him frowning with all his Oliver seriousness.

And then they're not moving.

They're not moving…

She looks over to the button panel and sees that neither of them hit the one for the garage. The panel isn't lit up at all and no one has called it and when Oliver's grip tightens on her skin she shakes her head to clear the odd fixation on this train of thought.

She looks back up at him and sees him smile the little smile he gets when she's amused him or impressed him and she has no idea which of those it is, but she's pretty sure it isn't the latter.

"What's wrong Felicity?" He asks, her name tripping off his tongue as perfectly as it normally does.

"I was just going to say that I'm really glad you're back." She breathes in a rush, biting her lip once the words are out there, hanging uselessly between them.

He smiles again, tilting his head. "Yeah, me too."

"You are?" She queries, feeling her forehead crease as she considers the extreme unlikeliness of there being any truth in that. "Why?"

"There are still some things in Starling City that are worth coming back for." He says, impossibly earnest as ever.

He means Thea, of course. His mother, Walter. Laurel too, probably. But she can't help the flutter in her chest as she considers maybe one day being nearer the top of that list. She feels the fine texture of his jacket beneath her fingertips and realises she's been mindlessly stroking her fingers over his arm as he holds her, unnecessary now yet still lingering. She contains the gasp of surprise and the need to back away from him, but only just.

"What were you going to say?" She asks instead, steadfastly ignoring the way her nerve endings are throbbing under the heat of his touch. He looks confused and she feels the need to babble fighting its way up from inside her. "When I turned, you turned and then we ended up like this and I've just about managed not to make a fool out of myself so far so maybe you'd like to take your chance to say whatever it is you have to say so that I can actually stop talking."

Oliver fights hard against his amusement, the only indicator that he's affected by her rambling being the raised eyebrows and sparkle of mischief in his blue eyes. "I was going to say thank you, Felicity."

That stops her in her tracks. "What for?"

He dips his chin with a faint smile. "I couldn't have done this without you and Digg. You in particular. Thank you for helping me with everything, for stepping up when I asked you, for helping with Walter. I appreciate it."

Felicity grins a little feeling some of her tension drain away. "I'm always here for you Oliver. You have to know that by now."

His hand suddenly cupping her cheek isn't the shock it would once have been. It almost feels like quite a natural progression to the moment, and that distracts her from the fact that they're both inching closer to one another. Oliver opens his mouth to say something but apparently reconsiders, settling instead on leaning down and ghosting his lips over hers.

"I do." He says, the words whispered into their almost-kiss.

He makes to move away but Felicity moves to stop him before she can think better of it, her hands curling around the lapels of his jacket and tugging him back to her. He laughs as she catches him off guard and they go falling back into the wall of the elevator, his large frame pinning her. He braces one forearm beside her head and deepens their kiss at her prompting, his tongue stroking along hers as she ventures to initiate something more.

His hand slips down to cup the back of her neck, warm and strong and protective as he tilts her head gently. She goes with it, allowing him to lead this moment as it lets her mind run freely through the sensations and the excitement that come from finally having it become a reality. Her hands move of their own accord, up to his throat to unfasten his tie and leave it looped loosely around his neck. She starts at the button of his shirt and Oliver growls, his hand tracking down over her shoulder to curve over her ribs, just below her breast.

She breaks away from him at this, chest heaving as she takes in some much needed air. Oliver's eyes are dark and clouded with something that looks rather like lust, a sight that makes her pounding heart beat that much harder.

"You sure about this?" She asks.

His smirk is as disarming as ever, especially this close. "Shouldn't I be the one asking that?"

"I had to say something, otherwise you might change your mind." She says, worrying her swollen bottom lip between her teeth.

"Felicity." He says and she hums expectantly, fingers tightening at his collar. "That's not going to happen."

Her cheeks hurt a little with the force of her grin and Oliver leans in to kiss it away in an instant. Her hands turn more adventurous, slipping under the material of his jacket and up over his shoulders to force it off. Oliver grins and nips at her lower lip as he lets her, shrugging it to the floor in a smooth movement. His hands return to her sides, venturing a little higher until his thumbs brush the wire of her bra and then higher.

Felicity finds herself clutching at the broadness of his back as his mouth leaves hers, tracing a path down along her jaw. He sucks hard at the underside and she can't stop the breathy cry that escapes. She feels his lips curve up in pleasure and he repeats the action without hesitation. When he pulls away he looks down at their bodies, at the way he's pressed into the full length of her.

"I like this skirt." He says, his hand toying with the hem before dancing slowly up her thigh.

She groans and lets him hook her leg up over his hip. "Suddenly, so do I."

There are cameras in here of course but when Oliver's mouth finds hers again it's pretty damn hard to care. (Besides it's not like she can't just hack in and delete the footage later, that's kind of her wheelhouse.)

The width of the skirt allows him to palm her hip without hiking it up completely and she gives an appreciative moan, her lips leaving his to find the curve where his neck meets his shoulder. She sucks hard to match his earlier mark and the act forces his hips into hers. Felicity lets out an inelegant grunt of pleasure into his warm skin at what she feels, her teeth baring and biting down as he rocks into her for a time.

He hitches her other leg up until he's the only thing supporting her weight save the wall. He makes it look effortless and she can't help but giggle, reaching to hold his face and brush her thumbs over his lips. The hand beneath her skirt slips under the elastic at her waist and her head falls back with a thump that sounds far more serious than it is.

A beeping from her watch interrupts her path back to his lips and she rests her temple to his with a sigh.

"Digg is waiting for us." She breathes against his cheek.

His groan of disappointment is swallowed up by the noise of the elevator activating and Felicity struggles to lean over and smack at the panel until their desired location is highlighted. At least now they'll make it all the way to the garage before anyone else can join them… providing that is no one else wants to go to the lobby.

Her heels hit the floor with a clack and then her hands are frantic, smoothing down her skirt and hair, fingers combing through to get rid of the knots his touch left behind. She chances a look up at him and can't hold in the laugh that escapes. He's managed to straighten his collar and hair but he still has the pink of her lipstick smeared over his mouth and down his jaw, a particularly vivid mark just below his collar surrounding the stippling left by the suction of her lips.

He just grins as she reaches up and wipes it away as best she's able, hoping all the while that the doors don't open behind them. Her eyes dart to the floor countdown and she holds her breath as it ticks from three… to two… to one…

When it doesn't stop she lets out a sigh of relief and Oliver chuckles, lifting her chin and kissing her once more. "Nothing to worry about."

Felicity grumbles and pulls his tie free from where it hangs loose around his neck, winding it around her hand. "You didn't know that."

He tugs her free hand up to his mouth, pressing his lips to the back in a sort of apology. When the elevator chimes and the doors open she huffs and turns from him, walking out into the parking garage. She hears him follow and crosses her arms over her stomach before looking back at him, all confident swagger as his hands slide into his pockets. He's terribly handsome and yet… there's something wrong…

Her eyes widen. "Your jacket!"

Felicity darts towards the closing elevator doors with a squeak but they've shut before she can do anything about it, Oliver's jacket now climbing back up the tower of the QC building to be discovered by… someone. Hopefully no one who's seen him this morning.

She feels a hand slide over her hip, flattening an uneven bit of her waistband as it goes. Oliver is warm behind her as he leans in to talk softly in her ear. "Let it go, Felicity."

"Digg is waiting for us." She repeats, fighting against her rapid heartbeat, the giddy restlessness of her still-tingling nerves.

"And he knows better than to say anything." Oliver laughs, turning her gently. She's still pouting when he starts to walk them towards the car that's waiting for him and he squeezes her shoulder. "Hey, it's a nice day. It's not raining for once. I'll be fine."

She rolls her eyes and slides into the car through the door that one of the QC drivers is holding open for her, shooting the man a small (self-conscious) smile as she goes. She's flattening her skirt over her thighs as Oliver joins her, and she sees his grin from the corner of her eye.

"I really do like that skirt."

She purses her lips but can't fight the smile that follows. So does she.


End file.
